When the Bobcats finished the first day of the All-Ohio Championships in first place, Ohio coach Clay Calkins said it would be too early to predict whether the lead would last after the second day.
A mere 22 hours later, Calkins knew he had chosen the right answer. After scoring in only four of Saturday’s 15 events, the Bobcats dropped to fifth place among the Division I teams in competition.
Although the result marked a slight improvement from last year’s meet, Calkins was disappointed.
“I thought we really didn’t perform at the top level,” he said. “I’m not going to say I am not satisfied. I just think we have room to improve.”
Facing tough competition from Ohio State, which won the meet with 212 points, and Mid-American Conference powerhouses Kent State and Akron, the Bobcats were overmatched in sprint events, scoring no points in the distances between 100 and 400-meters.
Senior Danielle Winningham couldn’t outrun the competition in the 800-meter run. She finished last in the fastest heat with a time of 2:16.38 minutes.
“She was dealing with some ankle issues,” Calkins said. “Hopefully that is not turning into a chronic thing.”
Still, as the distance of the events increased, the Bobcats became more successful.
Junior Melissa Thompson proved that she is one of the best collegiate runners in Ohio after winning the 1500-meter race in a season-best of 4:34.67 minutes.
Three hours later, she placed second in the 5,000-meters. In a very tactical race, in which no runner wanted to take the lead too early against the wind, the junior outran four other competitors on the homestretch.
“I see the finish line and the faster I run, the faster I get there," she said.
Distance standout Juli Accurso, a junior, won the 10,000-meter in a time of 34:38.93 minutes Friday night. Ohio State’s Michelle Thomas had the lead by more than 50 meters midway through the race, but Accurso was never worried about the race.
“I wasn’t anticipating to make a surge if she would have made a surge,” she said. “I focused on my rhythm and my race.”
Still, Calkins tried to find answers to what went wrong this weekend.
“We’re a young team,” Calkins said. “Sometimes the athletes get overwhelmed by the competition level.
They can definitely improve.”
am794811@ohiou.edu
